Barring an October surprise, the Republican ultra-right is staring at a potential historic defeat on Election Day, one that will create a more favorable environment for labor and its allies to wage the fight for a new agenda. The Republican Party is in emergency mode to save what seats it can.

Karl Rove, the political vampire of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, surely wishes he could reschedule Halloween to Nov. 7, turning the day we cast our ballots in the midterm elections into a ghoulish orgy of Republican tricks, dirty tricks.

DETROIT — The concept of “going to the doctor” for a mild health problem does not exist for many Americans. They are forced to wait until their condition has become an emergency before they can afford time away from work. Many times, by this point, the mild condition has become exponentially worse.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — “Unions seem to be becoming more and more active in North Carolina,” Jack Hawke, a former state Republican Party chairman, warned fellow conservatives at a recent Raleigh event. “And a lot of money is being thrown around this year.”